Data Literacy Training Initiative Portal

Building Data Confidence

Data literacy is no longer only relevant to specialists. It’s a core competency across workplaces and sectors—public, private, and academic. Whether you’re supporting decisions, reporting on performance, planning services, or communicating insights, being able to understand, interpret, and explain data matters. Guided by experts from Statistics Canada, these resources support data beginners with practical, confidence-building tools to interpret, analyze, and communicate data in ways that are accurate, responsible, and relevant to real-world needs.

Audience: Data beginners and team leads across federal/provincial/territorial/municipal governments, NGOs, and the private sector; adult learners returning to learning; and anyone looking to strengthen their data literacy.

Data Foundations: Standards, Metadata and Quality

Introduction: What Are Data?

This course is your entry point into the world of data. Whether you're new to data or looking to sharpen your understanding, this module is all about introducing you to key concepts and terminology necessary to work with data. You'll explore what data literacy means and why it matters.

Delivery method: Online self-paced course

Estimated time to complete: 15 minutes

The Four Steps of the Data Journey

The data journey represents the key stages of the data process. The journey is not necessarily linear; it is intended to represent the different steps and activities that could be undertaken to produce meaningful information from data.

Delivery method: Online self-paced course

Estimated time to complete: 15 minutes

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Turning data into meaningful insights is the heartbeat of evidence-based decision-making. This module will guide you through a systematic approach to analysis, show you how to work with proportions and confidence intervals, and help you draw rigorous conclusions from findings.

Delivery method: Online self-paced course

Estimated time to complete: 90 minutes

Telling the Data Story

This course is for anyone who needs to turn data, research, or evidence into a clear story for a specific audience.

Delivery method: Online self-paced course

Estimated time to complete: 60 minutes